Published on Apr 17, 2001
With the death of Joey Ramone this past Sunday, I got to
thinking about how my interest in The Ramones began. I wish I could
say that I had been into them since they first burst onto the scene
– but I was only five years old when their self-titled debut album
hit the streets.
Instead, my first full-length Ramones experience came in 1992,
when I was sent
Loco Live to review as a college journalist. Granted, I had
heard a few Ramones songs by then, but I was hardly an expert in
their genre. (I’m still not, to be quite honest.) Oh, I liked punk
– I had developed a healthy appetite for Black Flag, Husker Du and
the Sex Pistols. But I didn’t realize that without the Ramones,
these bands might never have made it as far as they did.
In all fairness,
Loco Live is not the ideal place for a Ramones newbie to
start. It’s not that the disc is bad by any means, but what you
hear from this show recorded in Barcelona, Spain, is a band who
have had some 15 years to polish and tighten up their material.
It’s not quite as raw as one might expect.
At times, the boys – Joey, Johnny, C.J. and Marky – sound like
they are so comfortable with this material that they could perform
it in their sleep. This is not meant to be a criticism of the band,
but the way they plow through such classics as “Blitzkrieg Bop,”
“Beat On The Brat” and “Psycho Therapy,” it sometimes feels like
the band wanted to move past the older stuff to get to their more
recent albums at that time. (In a sense, this isn’t a fair
statement, since of the 31 tracks – not including the sample of
“The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly” that opens the show – eight of
them come from
Ramones.)
While the musical tightness does show some of the strengths this
particular Ramones lineup had (Marky Ramone proves to be one
helluva drummer), it sometimes feels like the sloppy urgency of the
music is taken away. Compare this disc to
It’s Alive, the first concert recording from the Ramones,
and see what I mean. (Admission: I have yet to get through
It’s Alive. Maybe we’ll tackle that one next.)
Maybe it’s that some people, myself included, prefer the
original versions of songs like “Cretin Hop” and “Rock ‘N’ Roll
High School”. Then again, Joey and the boys are able to breathe
life into songs like “Pet Sematary” and “Somebody Put Something In
My Drink,” two songs I can’t say I’m the most fond of. And they do
kick even a classic like “Chinese Rocks” into new heights.
So why would I hint that
Loco Live might not be the best place for a newbie to start?
Simple: there’s much to be learned about the Ramones from their
studio releases, and much to be absorbed. With the rapid-fire
delivery of the songs on this disc, a newcomer might be
overwhelmed. I know that’s how I felt back in ’92. But for the
long-time fan, this disc will be like a cool drink of water – or at
least a firehose in the face.
If anything,
Loco Live seems to be an accurate picture of what the
Ramones live experience was like at this juncture in their career.
If you’ve got some knowledge about the band, you’ll definitely want
to add this to your collection. If you’re still learning about
them, you might want to start with
Ramones,
Ramones Mania or even the recently-released two-disc
anthology. Once you’ve got a little of that coursing through your
veins, you’ll be ready for
Loco Live.